Trade group sees slight decline in holiday flying

By: The Associated Press December 20, 2011Comments Off on Trade group sees slight decline in holiday flying

The main trade group representing U.S. airlines expects fewer people to fly this holiday season, but flights will still be packed.

Airlines for America predicts that about 43.3 million travelers will fly on U.S. carriers over the three-week holiday period, a 1 percent decline from a year earlier. That’s about 20,000 fewer people a day.

But fliers won’t have more room to stretch out. Even with fewer passengers, flights will be full because airlines have cut back their number of flights and planes, says the trade group, formerly known as the Air Transport Association.

About 1.6 million to 2.3 million people are forecast to fly each day between Wednesday and the first week of January.